Going home for Christmas
by Fairusa84
Summary: O/S written as a gift for Shouvley in Sparkling Citrus' Secret Santa Exchange. Bella travels home for Christmas. During the journey, she looks back at what life has brought her so far. AH, B/E, J/L. Rated M for citrus-y moments and some expletives.


**This is a o/s I wrote as a gift for Shouvley ( http: / www . fanfiction . net/ u/ 1098923/ shouvley ) in Sparkling Citrus' Fandom Secret Santa exchange ( http: / www . sparklingcitrus . com ). Since the Santas have been revealed, I figured I'd post it here for y'all to read, too. Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

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**Going Home for Christmas**

'Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking,' a steady male voice announced over the speaker system, 'On behalf of our staff, I welcome you on board of this US Airways service from JFK to Seattle. Estimated flight time will be nine hours and four minutes and the weather conditions are favorable for the time being. Please, sit back and enjoy your flight.'

I settled back into my first class seat after having placed my food and drink order. I wasn't particularly looking forward to the long journey – after landing I would still have to take a four-hour drive to reach my destination – but I was more than happy to subject myself to it, because it meant spending time with my extended family. I was just glad I could afford the luxury of first class. This would be the first Christmas since college that we would all be together. Previous years, someone would always be unavailable. I couldn't wait to spend time with everyone again, hearing about their lives, noting their changes… I was particularly looking forward to hanging out with my two best friends at once. Smiling, I took the scrapbook I had made as a gift for both of them out of my carry-on. I opened it to the first page and was immediately transported back to my childhood.

Leah Clearwater and I had been best friends ever since I was eight years old. My parents had been divorced for a couple of years and Renee, my mother, had been steadily seeing Phil, a Minor League baseball player. He was on the road a lot and it was evident that she missed him during those times. So my parents had some lengthy phone calls and in the summer of 1992 I was sent to live with my father Charlie, the Chief of Police of the town of Forks, Washington. It was a small logging town near the coast, on the edge of Olympia National Park, perpetually tormented by grey skies and heavy rain. Perfect for making mud pies with your friends.

Because of the tiny population of the town, by the time you went to high school, you knew every kid in town and probably had shared at least one embarrassing moment with them. Lucky for me, I got some variety due to my dad's friendship with some of the men from the Quileute reservation of La Push. His best friend Billy Black had a son, Jacob, who was two years younger, but turned out a good little brother. His older sisters Rachel and Rebecca introduced Leah and Seth Clearwater to the group; their father Harry had been a friend of Charlie and Billy, but he had died around the time my parents divorced. We were all thrown together a lot during our fathers' almost weekly fishing and hunting trips, and Leah and I became fast friends.

It was no secret that my father and Leah's mother Sue were close. They had bonded after Harry's death and depended on each other in raising us. Over time they grew to love each other and in the fall of 1994 they got married during a simple yet lovely ceremony. Leah and I were bridesmaids, Seth walked his mother down the aisle and Billy acted as their witness. Two months before, we had all moved into a new house, big enough to accommodate our new family. I loved it; I still had my own room, but I had gotten a sister and a little brother, and Sue was an amazing stepmother. Renee and Phil had even attended the wedding and it was good to see both my parents happy again.

I was briefly pulled from my trip down memory lane when the flight attendant brought me my drink and a bag of pretzels. They were very welcome, as there was a little turbulence and I didn't want to get nauseous. As I nibbled on them and sipped my apple juice, I flipped through the scrapbook.

A couple of years later, Forks was buzzing with news, gossip and speculation. A doctor from Chicago had bought the beautiful, secluded property just beyond the town limits. As Forks was small and rather isolated, any new addition to the population was bound to garner at least some excitement. This time, it was more than some, because not only was the esteemed doctor a fine addition to the hospital's medical staff, he also brought with him two teenage children. The entire student body of Forks High and Middle School was buzzing in anticipation of the arrival of the Cullen siblings. One Monday morning, they finally arrived.

Alice Cullen was a tiny sprite of a girl that had more energy than the entire chain of Starbucks could ever provide. She plopped down in the free seat next to me in homeroom and announced out of the blue that we would be great friends. I laughed but introduced myself nonetheless.

She was right, though. Within weeks, she, Leah and I had become inseparable. Sometimes I wondered how she could have been so confident about befriending me upon meeting. Whenever I asked her, however, she would just wink at me.

'I'm psychic, B. I know these things. Trust me.'

On other occasions, she would talk to us about how we would all be family one day. I kind of questioned that. I mean, what was she going to do – marry Seth? He was four years younger than us! But she would always look at me knowingly and tell me to trust her 'vision'. Sometimes I worried that she was plotting a set-up between Leah or me and her older brother Edward.

Not that Edward wasn't attractive or anything – quite the contrary: he was gorgeous. Tall, lean yet muscular, even in his adolescent awkwardness. He soon joined the football team and for a while the female half of the school was swooning over him. Myself included. I mean, he was nice enough to look at, and the uniform really accentuated his physical assets. He also had a strong, well-defined jaw that – already at sixteen – was covered with just the right amount of scruff, giving him a little rough edge. Intense emerald green eyes were set underneath perfectly sculpted eyebrows and his hair was a casual disarray of bronze.

Yes, I admit, he was dreamy. But also pretty aloof. I think the only friend he had was Jasper Hale, one of his team mates. His standoffish behavior caused most of the girls to lose interest after a while and he would keep his distance from most people, only participating when absolute necessary. Of course, with Alice being our friend, we were exposed to him a lot more. At first he would treat us indifferently, sometimes plain rude. I chalked it up to us being the silly friends of his annoying little sister.

Through Edward's friendship with Jasper we were introduced to his twin sister Rosalie, who eventually told him to 'get his head out of his ass and act human for a change'. I truly valued her as a friend. She would always say what was on her mind and was very humorous about it. In any case, Edward loosened up a bit and we would all hang out as a group.

However, as winter break of our sophomore year was approaching, Edward was still mostly ignoring me. I didn't know what I had done to offend him, but every time I would try to talk to him, he would blow me off or make a sarcastic remark. I really didn't get it, because he was nice enough to the rest of our group.

One afternoon early December that year, Alice, Leah and I were hanging out at the Cullen house, watching movies and having fun. Edward came home looking aggravated and grumbling about Jasper being 'up in his business'. When he saw us acting all silly in the living room, instead of just leaving, he started yelling at us to 'take it to Alice's room'. He was being ridiculous. At first, Alice ignored him, but he wouldn't let the issue drop. I tried to stay out of it, but I was already annoyed at his attitude toward me in general, and this was the proverbial final straw.

'Fuck off, Edward, we're just hanging out. If you don't like it, the house is big enough.'

'Don't tell me what to do, _Isabella_, you don't even live here. And who asked you anyway?', he sneered.

'Oh shut it. I'm sick of this! I don't care if you had a bad day or if you're frustrated because you're still in the closet; don't take it out on me, because I didn't do anything to deserve this kind of treatment!'

By the time I was finished with my rant, we were practically nose to nose, or more like nose to chest, because he was a good foot taller than me. I could feel my cheeks flaming, signaling that my face was red with anger. Edward looked down at me with a mixture of emotion in his blazing green eyes; I was able to discern anger, frustration… but there was something else there as well. He seemed very uncomfortable. I kept looking him straight in the eye, my anger negating my self-consciousness. Edward opened his mouth to retaliate, but he appeared at a loss for words and instead glared at me, huffed, then turned around and stomped to his room, slamming the door shut. I allowed myself a few moments to calm down before I was faced with a dumbfounded Leah and an Alice who appeared to be warring between laughing at my outburst and setting me straight.

'What the hell, B?', she finally said.

'I just… I've had it with his attitude. I've been nothing but nice to him and he always looks at me like he wants to kill me or something.'

'I know, hon, but why did you say he was gay?'

I shrugged.

'I don't know. He never dates or even looks at a girl and he always only hangs out with Jazz. Besides, I was angry, I had to say _something_.'

'Sure, I get that, but I think you really hurt him. And I don't think he's gay', Leah offered.

Both Alice and I turned to look at her.

'He doesn't give off gay vibes', she reasoned.

'I think you should apologize to him', Alice said.

'Why should I?', I objected, 'He's always mean to me. If anything, _he_ should apologize to _me_!'

'True,' Leah agreed, 'but if you say sorry first, you're the bigger person and it'll take away any reason to treat you this way.'

Finally, I relented and the three of us went up to his room, because I argued that they had also aggravated him. I also wasn't really looking forward to being alone with him. Standing outside of Edward's room, we could hear him sobbing quietly.

'Shit!', I whispered, 'I really hurt him, didn't I?'

Without hesitation, I opened his door, prepared to rush to his side to comfort him and make amends. Nothing could have prepared me, however, for the sight I was met with.

The remainder of the flight was rather uneventful and before I knew it we were already landing at SeaTac – a full half our ahead of schedule. I took my carry-on out of the overhead compartment and exited the plane, making my way over to the rental car offices. I was glad I wouldn't have to drive through the downpour that was inherent to Washington, especially after a long flight. I made myself comfortable and couldn't contain a chuckle as I remembered the rest of that day.

Although he was facing away from me on his couch, there was no mistaking what he was doing. He wasn't sobbing; he was panting and moaning softly. His head was thrown back, his eyes tightly shut and his mouth was slightly open, while his right hand was moving rapidly in his lap. My jaw dropped. I knew guys did this, but I had never expected to see it for real. Before I could compose myself and leave quickly and quietly without him noticing me, something even more unexpected happened.

'Bella…'

Edward moaned my name? What the hell?

I gasped in shock, effectively alerting him to my presence. His head whipped around and he looked at me in horror.

'Shit!', he cursed, but apparently he couldn't control what was happening anymore, because at the same time his face contorted in a most sensual way, his eyes widening as he bit his lip and let out a strangled cry.

I was still standing there, frozen to the spot. It had all happened so fast, Leah and Alice were still behind me, just outside his door. They ran into me and we almost tumbled to the floor.

'What are you doing, B?', Leah complained.

All too soon, however, they realized what was going on. Leah broke out in laughter, while Alice's reaction was the complete opposite.

'What's going…? Oh! Ew! _Edward!_', she shrieked, covering her eyes, 'That's disgusting! Put that thing away! Ew, ew, ew! No one wants to see their brother like that!'

Meanwhile, Edward scrambled to his feet, trying to cover himself, but not before I caught a peek of what could only be described as a massive, swoon worthy cock that – despite the current stressful situation – was _still hard_. Very impressive. Nonetheless, Edward looked beyond mortified at the unwelcome intrusion, as was I. He did manage to take on an intimidating stance when he yelled at us to get out.

Downstairs, Leah and I hurried to excuse ourselves. I couldn't bear running into Edward again that night.

'That's a visual I could've lived my life without', Leah muttered when we were driving home.

I mumbled a noncommittal response, sending a silent thanks to whoever prevented her from hearing Edward moan my name.

Over the next few days, Edward ignored me even more than usual, but the tension was more awkward than the previous resentful atmosphere. I was still puzzled as to what it all meant. Why would he be thinking of me when he was doing that? Was it just the one time, or a regular thing? I was embarrassed to bring it up, which resulted in even more awkwardness between the two of us. Alice and Leah picked up on that, of course, and tried to get me to confide in them. During our talks, Alice persuaded me to confront Edward about whatever was bothering him, but allow him some privacy to speak freely. In other words: get him alone.

Which was why I found myself knocking on his door the afternoon of Christmas Eve, eleven years ago. We would all be spending the evening together, and I'd rather not sit through an elaborate meal with this huge elephant in the room.

Edward opened the door and frowned when he saw me standing there.

'Can we talk?'

He shrugged and motioned for me to come in.

'Look, this whole situation has gotten completely out of hand,' I cut straight to the point, 'For some reason, you feel you need to treat me like shit. I don't understand that and at some point I'd like an explanation. No wait, let me say this first.'

He closed his mouth and nodded.

'The other day, I said some things to you that were out of line. I'm sorry about that. I was just angry and fed up with your attitude. But I shouldn't have said those things. I don't care if you're gay, but I get that it's a private thing.'

'I'm not gay, Bella', he started, but I held up my hands.

'I'm not finished. Anyway, we came to your room to apologize and then… you know…,' I blushed, 'I guess I should've knocked first.'

'Yeah. You should've.'

'I get that. And I'm sorry about that, too. But you still need to give me some answers.'

'Answers? Let's see… Yes. No. To get to the other side. 1.77245…', he smirked.

'Edward…', I sighed exasperatedly, 'Quit playing. You know what I'm talking about. What was that?'

'I know you're young, Bells, but are you really that naïve? It's called jerking off. Masturbating, you know? When I get off, pumping my cock…'

My suddenly pervy mind wandered back to the image of a half naked Edward and when he said 'my cock' I started to blush again.

'I know _what_ you were doing, Geez. I'm not _that_ innocent.'

He raised an eyebrow, challenging me.

'What I want to know is why you said my name. You hate me!'

That struck a nerve apparently, because suddenly all playfulness had left his expression and he looked away.

'I don't hate you', he mumbled.

'Then why are you always so rude to me?', I questioned, 'It hurts, you know?'

He looked at me, pain evident in his eyes. What was going through that mind?

'I don't mean to, Bella. I swear. I just don't know how to act around you. Everything's so confusing…'

'But why?'

'Because I'm in love with you! Okay? There, I said it. Happy now?', he yelled.

He turned away from me and went to look out his bedroom window.

Edward was in love with me? When did _that_ happen? Although, it did explain a lot.

As I stood there, absorbing his confession, I noticed his posture was very tense and he was shaking slightly. This must have been very difficult and nerve wrecking to him. I moved to stand beside him and put my hand on his arm. When he turned his head to look at me again, I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could do so, he took my head in his hands and kissed me. It was a forceful, almost needy kiss and it literally took my breath away. When he released my lips I gasped for air.

'I'm sorry,' he said, 'I just _had_ to kiss you at least once.'

I put my hand on his cheek and turned his face back to me.

'Edward, it's okay', I said sincerely.

Because in that instant I had decided. If he really was in love with me, I would give him that chance.

'Really?', he asked, an uncertain smile playing on his lips.

Those soft, pink lips that I longed to feel on mine again.

'Really', I nodded.

He smiled genuinely now and kissed me again. This time, I reciprocated, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning into him. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered if Edward knew that he was my first kiss, but the rest of my brain – and body – decided not to dwell that question and just enjoy the kiss.

Needless to say, Christmas that year was… interesting. We had agreed not to tell anyone just yet, so we tried to act as normal as possible around each other, claiming we had set aside our differences.

I really liked that particular Christmas. Not only had Esme and Sue worked wonders in the kitchen, but my carefully chosen gifts for everyone were also well-appreciated. Leah blushed furiously upon opening Jacob's present. He had gotten all of the girls leather braided bracelets with an individual charm, but for some reason the one he gave Leah was special. He shifted nervously as he gave it to her. There was a delicate gold chain interwoven with the leather and opposite the L-charm was a beautifully carved wooden image of a howling wolf. Jacob later confessed to me that he had spent hours carving it himself.

But my favorite parts of that Christmas were all the stolen kisses I shared with Edward.

We kept our budding relationship under wraps for a while, but it was pointless trying to keep anything from Alice and Leah for long. Midway through January they started to question changes in my behavior, but I always managed to reassure them nothing was going on. We didn't go out for Valentine's Day. Instead, while Jasper was out wining and dining Alice – they had started dating a while before – Leah and I had decided to host a movie night with our single friends.

When we were picking out movies at the local video store, we ran into Sam Uley and his friends Jared and Paul. Actually, we saw them coming into the store and tried to make a quick, unnoticed exit. No such luck. Clumsy as I was, I tripped over my own feet and dove head first into a rack of videos. This of course caught their attention.

'Well, if it ain't the Swan-Clearwater sisters,' Jared said, 'Though I think Duck-Mud would be a better description. What do you think, Sam?'

Sam merely shrugged and looked at us apologetically. At least that was something. But he owed us, and especially Leah, so much more than a shrug and half a smile.

Leah had been crushing on Sam since we were thirteen, but he treated her as a little sister at best. Then all of a sudden, the previous spring, he had started flirting with her. Sam was a senior at the time and he asked her to be his date for prom. Leah was ecstatic; not only was Sam publicly acknowledging their new relationship, she would also be the only freshman at prom. We spent days trying to find the perfect dress and I don't think I had ever seen Leah so nervous. In the end she decided to wear a forest green halter dress, Sam's favorite color.

For a while, everything seemed to be going okay and Leah confessed to me she had slept with Sam after prom. I always thought that was too soon and she admitted he sort of pressured her a little to go through with it and that it had hurt. But she was so in love with him; she just wanted to make him happy. He appeared to be a good boyfriend when school let out, but then Leah's cousin (well, also my step-cousin by marriage) Emily arrived.

She had just graduated too and would attend UW in the fall, so she came early to spend the summer with us. I couldn't fault Sam for falling in love with Emily, because they truly were perfect for each other and Emily was a sweet girl at heart, but I could, and did, blame him for the way he had handled things. Because instead of coming clean to Leah about his changed feelings and breaking up with her before pursuing Emily, he went behind her back and cheated on her. When Emily found out, she gave him an ultimatum and he eventually chose her. Leah was left bitter and heartbroken and Emily was asked to move to Seattle a few weeks earlier than planned. To make matters worse, Paul and Jared knew what had been going on, covering for Sam and making fun of Leah's trust and naïveté. Sam only half-heartedly defended Leah, but that didn't put an end to things. It wasn't until they had all left for college that she was finally left alone somewhat, but whenever they were in town they would humiliate her if the opportunity presented itself. This time was no exception.

I tried not to listen to their lame remarks, but Leah was clearly reaching the limits of her restraint, which was quite the accomplishment. She wasn't one to hold grudges, but once you got on her bad side it was best to run for cover. I didn't want things to escalate, because that would really amuse those guys, so I pulled her with me, out of the store. Leah was seething. Remembering the bond that was developing between her and Jacob, I quickly texted him what had happened. We had barely made it home when he texted back, telling me he had informed his father, who was a prominent member of the Quileute Council, of recent events and that they would have to explain themselves at the next council meeting. This news appeased Leah somewhat but she was still upset.

Jacob proved even more loyal, however, because when Billy dropped him off at our place later that day, he was sporting a black eye and a bruised hand, while Billy was smiling smugly.

'Wow, what happened to you?', Seth asked.

'Ran into Sam and his friends,' Jacob said as he winked with his good eye, 'Me, Embry and Quil pointed out why they shouldn't mess with you.'

I was very impressed. Jacob could hold his own and he had started to fill out nicely, but still, Sam was almost four years older than him.

When Leah heard what he had done, it was the cutest thing to watch: she practically jumped him, simultaneously hugging him in thanks and hitting him for being so reckless.

That Valentine's Day, we were all hanging out in our living room watching movies. Jacob and Leah kept sneaking glances at each other when they thought no one was looking, while Seth tried to get Jacob to join him on his PlayStation instead. When I came back with some drinks and snacks, Rosalie had switched seats, forcing me to sit next to Edward. Not that I was complaining, I mean, he _was_ sort of my boyfriend. But Rosalie proved to be quite observant. She merely raised an eyebrow at me, challenging me to call her out on her actions. I didn't. Instead, I sat down, brushing my hand against Edward's leg, making him jump.

Alternating our movie marathon between guy-approved action and chick flicks, I oh-so subtly scooted closer to Edward, leaning into his side as he laid his arm on the back of the couch behind me. As we were watching _Never Been Kissed_, Jacob finally felt the need to reaffirm his masculinity and joined Seth in his games. Rosalie and Leah were making fun of the stereotypes and predictability of the movie, providing us some privacy without actually leaving us alone. I was suddenly hyper-aware of Edward sitting right next to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed he was rather tense, too, swallowing nervously. I slumped a little in my seat, trying to appear more relaxed. Leaning forward to get his drink, Edward dropped his arm from the back of the couch to around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.

'Do you like the movie?', he whispered in my ear.

The combination of his proximity, his breath on my neck and his voice in my ear sent a shiver down my spine.

'It's alright,' I shrugged, 'But it's kinda sad she's never had a real kiss.'

'You don't think it's romantic? Alice couldn't shut up about it. Went on and on about how she loved that her first kiss was with someone she loved.'

'Meh…'

'Who was your first kiss, then?'

'You know…'

'What?'

I looked at him pointedly. After a few moments, realization dawned on him and he actually blushed a little.

'Oh.'

We continued watching the movie for a while, but I was too distracted.

'How about yours?', I finally whispered.

'My what?'

'Your first kiss?', I mumbled.

'Oh, that,' he softly chuckled, 'Well, it was pretty awesome, actually. I'd been crushing on this girl for a while and then one day she showed up at my house, telling me to stop acting like a jerk and I just had to kiss her.'

I turned to look at him.

'Wait… what?'

'It was you, B', he said and pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

Apparently, our little exchange had caught Leah's and Rosalie's attention, because I heard Leah gasp and Rosalie laugh.

'I'm never betting against Alice', Rosalie simply said.

It would be another six months before Jacob and Leah would finally admit to themselves and to us that there was more than friendship between them. But it was a good thing; their relationship had been strong from that moment on, built on solid foundations of trust, friendship and loyalty.

As the car drove out of Seattle and headed toward Port Angeles, I recalled the two years driving back and forth between Forks and Seattle. Edward had gone to college there and I was still in high school. Most students would stay on campus and only come home for major holidays and during the summer, but Edward and Jasper came home about every other weekend and Alice and I would make the drive over during the other weekends. Both Edward and Charlie were worried about me driving my beat up old Chevy truck, and when it broke down just outside Port Angeles one Friday night, making Edward get so worked up he borrowed his friend Emmett McCarty's Jeep to come find me, and Charlie all but organized a search party – I had left my cell phone at home by accident – I finally relented and agreed to drive Edward's Volvo instead. He hardly needed it in Seattle, as he was living in a dorm on campus and Jasper had his well-maintained '67 Chevy Nova.

The original plan had been for Alice, Leah and I to share a dorm or an apartment when we went to college, but when the time came, all three of us were in committed relationships. We had lengthy conversations with all of our parents and eventually came to an agreement. Us girls would move into a three-bedroom apartment just off campus, with Jasper, Edward and Emmett moving into a building down the street. In reality, Emmett spent most of his time at Rosalie's, since they had started dating sometime the preceding year. Leah and Jacob found themselves in pretty much the same situation as we had been in before. Alice and I would alternate between our own apartment and the boys', so it was almost as if we all had our own place and were living with our boyfriends. Well, except for Leah, for the time being.

It was no surprise, then, when Christmas Eve 2002, Jasper got down on one knee, and presented Alice with a beautiful white gold ring with a princess cut diamond and proposed to her. Alice immediately started planning the wedding of the century, but they weren't the first of our group to get married. Not even two months later, Rosalie and Emmett blew everyone away when they announced they had eloped during their Valentine's Day getaway to Las Vegas. Jasper was livid at first, because, despite Rosalie being the older twin, he was fiercely protective of her and felt deprived of his brotherly duties. Their parents were upset they didn't get to see their daughter get married. Emmett hurried to smooth things over by offering to have a reception. During that event the cat came out of the bag when Rosalie politely refused to toast with champagne, instead drinking sparkling water and juice all night. Their little boy, James – or Jimmy, as Emmett preferred – was born just a week before my birthday.

Alice and Jasper had gotten married in June and over the summer we rearranged our living arrangements: I moved in with Edward, giving Jasper and Alice the bigger apartment; Leah got a studio apartment in our building and Emmett made an offer on a townhouse.

Things continued like that for a while, all of us studying and also hanging out on a regular basis. After he graduated, Jacob moved in with Leah, finally completing our group again. At the start of our junior year, I noticed an addition on her left hand.

'Do you have anything to tell me, dear sister?', I asked.

She gave me an innocent look, but I wasn't about to enter in a game of _Twenty Questions_, so I grabbed her hand, pointing it out.

'Oh, this? Yeah, Jake gave it to me last night', she said while grinning like a fool.

She was wearing Jacob's mother's ring. She had died when he was just a little boy – I had never known her – and she had left her engagement ring for Jacob to give to his future wife. Rachel and Rebecca had gotten her other jewellery, but this ring was meant for Jacob. It was a gold band, aged by time, as it had been in the family for generations, adorned with a beautiful amber crystal. It looked perfect sitting on her third finger.

They had a small ceremony during Christmas break that year, which also happened to be the last Christmas, until this year, we all spent together.

Because after college, Jasper and Alice embarked on a trip around the world and spent the holidays on a beach near Sydney. Emmett and Rosalie settled down in Forks, of all places, where Emmett joined Charlie in the Police force. Jacob and Leah moved back to La Push, wanting to be closer to Billy now that both of Jacob's sisters had moved across the country. And Edward and I had been living in New York since I had gotten a job there with a publishing company, putting my degree in English Literature to good use.

'Bella, love?', Edward's velvety voice rang in my ear, 'Time to wake up, we're almost there.'

I opened my eyes and was met with the beautiful face of my husband.

The last time our entire family was together had been last summer, during our wedding. We had decided to get married in Forks, where we had met and grown up. It was an intimate event, with James as the ring bearer, Charlie walking me down the aisle and Jasper and Alice standing up for us. It was perfect.

By the time we left the reception to go on our honeymoon, I got a little emotional, because I knew I wouldn't be able to see them all for quite a while. Work would be crazy with new publications coming out. Alice would fly in for a quick visit, but other than that, it would be Christmas before I would finally be with my family again.

I was practically bouncing in my seat as we turned onto the driveway of my parents' home. Edward had apparently texted Charlie we were on our way, because as I was opening the car door, he and Sue came outside to greet us.

'Bells, so good to see you', Charlie said as he hugged me, then proceeded to shake Edward's hand and clap him on the shoulder.

'Marriage agrees with you, sweetheart', Sue gushed, 'You look absolutely radiant! Come on, let's get you inside and settled in. It's freezing out here!'

As I was unpacking my bag in my old room, I laid out the dress I would be wearing tonight. Alice, taking charge of the festivities, had carefully coordinated the color scheme. The sisters would be wearing ruby dresses; their husbands matching red ties. The older women were asked to wear a deep purple, their husbands matching them, of course. The other members of our extended family – Seth, his girlfriend Vanessa, Rosalie, Emmett and James – were supposed to add a royal blue item to their outfit.

Looking down at my engagement and wedding rings, I smiled to myself, knowing this Christmas would be special for one more reason.

Tonight, Leah, Alice and I would announce our pregnancies.

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**The End. Merry Christmas.**


End file.
